Warm Me Up
by LushBaby
Summary: Luke has an accident and Grace finally realizes how much he means to her. Chapter Three Finally up! Read and Review please!
1. Warm Me Up

Warm Me Up

by LushBaby

Summary: Luke has an accident and Grace finally admits just how much he means to her.

Rating: PG-13

A/N: A special thank you goes out to Diminished-9th for some divine inspiration when I was suffering writer's block. You go girl!

The snow was falling faster now, heavy swirls obstructing Grace's view as she carefully made her way down the street towards the Girardi house. There was no way she'd make it to her house; she'd call her dad from a land-line as the storm was interfering with cellular reception. Joan and her parents were in Baltimore for the weekend, but hopefully Kevin or Luke would be home. As she plowed her way up the drive she noticed Luke's clunker-his pride and joy, standing there, the passenger side door open and snow building up on the passenger seat. Frowning, Grace shut the door and noted the lack of footprints leading to the back porch. The porch lay in inky darkness, like the rest of the house, and Grace, feeling a sense of urgency, began to hurry. Slipping and sliding on the icy path she made it to the porch steps and felt her way up them in the dark. Her foot suddenly struck something large and she knelt down and realized that she was touching Luke! She found her lighter in her pocket and in its feeble flicker saw with horror that he was unconscious. She scrabbled her way past him and into the kitchen where she turned on the lights and grabbed the cordless phone.

"Oh God-hurry, hurry!" she muttered to herself as she punched out 9-1-1 on the keypad. While it was ringing she went back to Luke, now illuminated in the glow of the kitchen and porch lights. _Oh why weren't they answering?_ "Luke! Luke! Wake up!" Grace hesitated to shake him for fear she might cause more damage. "Hello! Hello! My boyfriend's knocked himself unconscious and I've just found him outside! He's freezing!" In her panic Grace didn't ever realize she'd just used the 'b-word.'

The 911 operator's calm voice interrupted "Okay, calm down. I'm going to ask you some questions—"

"Questions? This isn't Jeopardy! Get someone over here right now!"

"I'm sorry, but the EMT units are all busy right now with other emergencies. Is he bleeding?" At Grace's negative reply, she asked, "How is his color?"

"He's very white."

"His breathing? Put your head to his chest. Any rasping or difficulty breathing?"

Grace pressed her ear to Luke's chest, momentarily closing her eyes and –my God, was I praying, she thought astonished. "No, he seems to be breathing okay."

"I'm going to connect you with an EMT telephone unit. They'll tell you what to do, and if necessary, get to you as soon as they can."

Grace waited impatiently as she was transferred over and then listened carefully to the EMT's instructions. While she was talking her free hand was soothing Luke's forehead and a couple of tears rolled down her face. When she hung up she wiped her face hurriedly, 'you are NOT going to cry over this geek!' she told herself fiercely as she struggled to get Luke inside the house. As she pulled him over the doorjamb, he murmured a protest and slowly opened his eyes. They gazed at Grace unfocusedly before closing again.

"Luke! Luke! Open your eyes! Look at me!" she commanded. He didn't respond and she thought he hadn't heard her, but then he frowned and looked at her again.

"Grace. Why are you always yelling at me?" His voice, she was delighted to noticed, sounded like it always did; his words clearly spoken with no trace of a slur or stumble.

"I'm yelling at you now because you knocked yourself out and I'm trying to make sure you're alright." She said more quietly. "Can you help me get you to a warm bath?"

"Warm bath?" Now he did sound confused.

"Yes, a warm bath. You're suffering from hypothermia, and I need to get you warm. Is there a bathtub in Kevin's room, cause I don't think we'll make it up those stairs."

Luke shook his head no and then winced as a heavy pain enveloped his head. "Kevin--not home—shower—that way."

Together they made their way down the back hall to Kevin's room, Grace bend double and Luke practically crawling. Finally they reached Kevin's bed and Grace half-lifted Luke onto it. He must have been working out because he definitely wasn't a lightweight anymore, she thought to herself as she struggled to get him on the bed. She went to start the shower and came back to find his eyes closed again. Grace pulled off his shoes and then unfastened his corduroy trousers—thank God he wasn't wearing jeans, she doubted she could have stripped those off him. Finally, he was down to his boxers and Grace paused momentarily, before taking a deep breath and working those off as well. As she maneuvered him upright she could help but notice that he had indeed filled out since she had last seen him in swim trunks. His shoulders were broader and his chest muscles more defined. He had more hair on his chest too; a light dusting that ran down past his navel—

"Whoa, girl, you gotta stop right there." She muttered to herself, dumfounded that she was noticing all that during such an overwrought moment.

Luke woke enough to help her get him to the shower but was thankfully too groggy to realize he was naked. He was unable to stand unaided, and Grace sighed and removed her leather jacket and shoes before joining Luke. Together they let the warm water rush over them, Luke sitting on Kevin's shower chair and Grace holding him upright. Finally she turned off the water and dried him where he sat, then helped him into Kevin's bed and, still dripping, brought extra blankets and tucked him up.

"Luke! Luke! Look at me again." she ordered, smoothing back his damp hair. "Wake up, Luke." Luke opened his eyes again and looked at Grace.

"Hello Grace. What are you doing here?" he asked sleepily.

"Making sure you stay alive, geek. Look at me, Luke! What day is it? What is your name?

"Wow, you'd think they'd have harder questions on MIT's application." Luke commented.

Grace just rolled her eyes. She knew, as did anyone within a twenty miles radius of the Girardi house, that MIT applications were due months ago. Luke had obsessed over his essay and admissions project until Grace went over every aspect of it with him, and then mailed it behind his back.

"Come on now. Answer me. What year is it?" Grace was very tempted to ask Luke more personal questions since he was kind of out of it, but she knew how she'd feel—violated and betrayed—if someone did that to her so she simply persisted with the innocuous queries and once satisfied that he knew who and where he was, let Luke sleep. The EMT told her to wake him every few hours, give him a warm drink and check his pupils and ask him simple questions. Suddenly she realized she was shivering, her wet clothes clinging to her. She took a last look at Luke and then went to the kitchen where she made a cup of tea and went upstairs to shower and borrow some clothes.

Twenty minutes later, the tea drunk, she went back into Kevin's room to check on Luke. He was still asleep, but she noticed he was shivering violently and she rubbed his body through the blankets to no avail. She remembered something she had read in a survival manual once, on how to keep warm when exposed to the elements and thanking God that Luke wasn't awake, she stripped down to her--Joan's-- panties and crawled into bed with Luke, pressing her warm body close to his, letting her warmth seep into him. Grace closed her eyes and savored the situation, something she'd never admit to anyone. Holding Luke close, knowing that he was dependent on her; it awoke something deep inside Grace. Was this what it would be like to have a child—what it would be like to have _his_ child? With no one there to look at her, to ask awkward questions, to make her feel defensive, Grace could lie there and accept the moment, without pretence. She loved Luke. She was in love with Luke. With Geek-boy Girardi. She set Kevin's alarm clock to wake her in two hours and let herself drift of to a place where she wasn't afraid to show Luke these feelings.

Luke awoke to a dull throb in his head and an unaccustomed light shining in his eyes. He turned his head to see where it was coming from and realized that he was in his brother's bed, and the watery morning sunshine was reflecting off Kevin's levering bar dangling directly overhead. He then became aware that he wasn't alone. Not only was he not alone, but he and _whoever_ were naked underneath the bedclothes. Slowly he turned his head further and looked down to see Grace Polk's tousled blonde head behind him, her warm body spooning his as she slept. Ever nerve in Luke's body went into overdrive at that particular moment. He and Grace? In Kevin's bed? And he didn't remember anything and boy, was Grace going to KILL him for not remembering they'd slept together! And while his brain was assimilating all that, his body was assimilating the fact that he could feel Grace's bare breasts pressing into his back and her arm was draped over his waist, perilously near . . .

"Good morning, geek boy." Grace's voice whispered over him. She sounded slightly embarrassed, and Luke was glad he wasn't the only uncomfortable one there. She withdrew her arm quickly and rolled away from him taking most of the covers with her. Luke grabbed frantically at a corner of blanket to cover himself.

"Close your eyes, dude." She ordered. "I'm getting out of bed." He felt the mattress shift and heard a raspy purr of a zipper and then Grace was there in front of him, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt he could have sworn belonged to Joan since it was pink and had adorable puppies on it. Luke braced himself for an attack, but she smiled hesitantly and felt his forehead with her palm as if she was checking his temperature.

"How are you feeling this morning? What's your name? What year is it?"

"What _are_ you talking about?" Luke sputtered, completely confused. Grace immediately frowned.

"What's your name? What year---"

"I know what year it is Grace! I want to know what you think you're doing."

"I'm checking you for concussion, you idiot!"

"Concussion?"

"Yeah, don't you remember knocking yourself out last night?" At Luke's painful head-shake, she continued. "I couldn't get home so I came here and found you unconscious on the back porch. The EMTs couldn't get here so they told me what to do and . . ." Grace trailed off, unwilling or too embarrassed to continue.

"Does this story end with us in bed together naked?" Luke asked hopefully. Grace looked mortified but she answered steadily enough.

"Yeah, well, I was supposed to warm you up and we couldn't make it upstairs so we came in here and I –I undressed you and we got in the shower together 'cause you couldn't even sit by yourself. Then later, you were still cold so, I got into bed with you and then I guess I fell asleep."

"So nothing happened last night?"

"Nothing except me breaking my back to get you in here. When did you start bulking up?"

Luke heard the question and realized Grace was feeling a lot more comfortable now. He decided to shake her up again and as she bent over him once more he pulled her down on top of him. Ignoring her indignant yelp and the throbbing in his head, Luke twisted his body around so she lay trapped beneath him.

"I have to thank you for saving my life," he said, brushing his lips over her forehead. Grace let her eyes drift closed as Luke pressed a light kiss on her nose before claiming her mouth in a kiss so sweet and tender that Grace half-expected to hear angels singing. Suddenly, the kiss changed. Grace could feel it as Luke's lips froze against hers. He pulled his lips away sharply and Grace could have sworn a brief look of horror passed over his face. But before she could call him on it, a shocked shout reached their ears.

"What the hell is going on here?" Kevin asked as he took in the jumbled room, his naked brother and a very flushed Grace as she pushed Luke off her before scrambling off the bed.

Luke jumped up quickly and then blushed furiously as he realized he had forgotten he was naked. Grabbing the sheet, he tied it around his waist as his older brother wheeled himself into the room. "It isn't what you're thinking. I hit my head; Grace put me in here last night and apparently nursed me through the night."

"And that explains why you're naked how?"

Grace interceded before Luke could make things worse. "Look, its simple. Geek boy hit his head and I found him unconscious on the back porch, the EMTs said to get him warm, so I put him in your shower because we couldn't manage the stairs. I couldn't get him dressed so I put him in your bed naked." Grace was so thankful that Kevin had not arrived ten minutes earlier or she'd had so much more explaining to do, not to mention how like a million times more embarrassing it would have been.

"You okay, bro?" Kevin asked as Luke tried to squeeze past Kevin's chair in the doorway.

Luke stopped to wrestle with the encumbering sheet that had managed to catch around one of Kevin's wheels. He tugged at it sharply and heard it tear and he gathered the remaining bit of cotton percale around himself as if it was a toga.

"Yeah. Fine. Whatever. I'm going to get some clothes on, if no one minds," he said sarcastically as he finally managed to exit the room. Grace was on her hands and knees trying to gather up Luke's discarded clothes and find her boots. She was glad that her position on the floor would account for her red face and let her blonde bob fall around her cheeks to hide the tell-tale color even more.

"You know, it's okay if you like him," Kevin said gently, wheeling himself farther into the room. "The world will not end, and life as we know it cease if maybe you admitted you had some feelings for Luke that would most definitely be reciprocated."

Grace had frozen at his first word but now she got up off the floor, clutching a variety of clothing and, thank god, her boots. Now she could get out of this nightmare, but not, she thought disgustedly, wearing a too-cute-for-words _pink_ sweatshirts with adorable—were those _puppies_?-- gamboling on it and, oh god, fluffy pink bedroom slippers! She muttered a good-bye to Kevin, her demeanor giving him no clue if she had agreed, disagreed, or even heard what he had been saying. Kevin watched her take the stairs two at a time, shedding one of Luke's socks on the way. Sighing he wheeled himself into his bathroom, groaning at the mess of soggy towels that awaited him there.

Grace flew into Joan's room and slammed the door behind as if all the hounds of Hell were after her. She sank onto the bed still clutching the bundle of clothing, letting her boots drop with two muffled thuds onto the carpeted floor. Contrary to her response, or apparent lack thereof, she had heard every word Kevin Girardi had said. Funny enough, she even agreed with them. But how does one go about tearing down the rather formidable wall that had been so painstakingly built over the last ten years? Brick by brick or with a sledgehammer? Or maybe she was just supposed to ignore it and pretend it never existed. No closer to an answer ten minutes later, Grace dumped the Luke's clothes on the bed and stripped off her borrowed clothing before dressing in her crumpled but thankfully dry clothes. She was lacing her second boot when Luke knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for her response.

"Hey dude! I might have been dressing here," she said, deciding in that split second that maybe the wall was too high and too strong to come tumbling down this day.

Luke stepped into the room and leaned against the doorjamb, feeling much more confident now that he was dressed and Grace looked like Grace again. This had to be the freakiest morning he'd ever experienced. Waking up with Grace pressing her naked—_naked_—body against his, kissing her in his brother's bed! and getting caught naked with Grace by said brother; not to mention that Grace smelled weird. Not weird, exactly, but just not Grace. And then it clicked.

"You came up here last night and showered didn't you?"

Grace's eyes widened. Well, of all the things she thought he might say, that definitely wasn't one on her list. "Yeah, dog. I was cold and wet and I needed to dry my clothes."

Luke left the doorway and walked over to her, stopping when his stocking-feet came toe-to-toe with Grace's Doc Martens. He slid one hand into her hair and then—how bizarre was that—he smelled her hair and neck. Grace recoiled slightly and stepped back, losing her balance and falling backwards onto the bed. Luke was just staring at her, not saying a word.

"Dude! Like, this surpasses the giving-of-the-Rock in weirdness. What the hell are you doing?"

"You smell like my sister," he said almost accusingly.

"Well, duh. It's not like I was expecting to rescue you last night and be forced to stay over."

"No, you don't get it. In bed this morning," Grace noted a faint blush appearing on his cheekbones, "in bed this morning," Luke doggedly continued, "when I was kissing you it felt like I was kissing Joan"

"Eeww, dog. Don't go there."

Luke's eyes bugged out somewhat as his expressive hands flew at her. "I know! I know! I couldn't figure out why until now. You used her stuff—shampoo, soap. You were wearing her clothes. I could even smell her perfume on that shirt, and man, that was just one step over the line to complete weirdness—I mean, get me to a therapist weirdness."

"Completely unchallenged." Grace agreed, walking over to the door quickly. She stopped just over the threshold, hesitating for just a fraction of a second before turning back to face Luke. "I'm going home and having a shower and stuff." Grace squared her shoulders and looked Luke straight in the eyes, knowing he'd pick up on why she was telling him this. Knowing that the wall was going to come down. Tonight.

"But I'll be back tonight. You owe me a thank you. A big one." With that Grace was gone, down the stairs, out the door and off the porch.

Luke went to Joan's window and watched as Grace plodded her way through the fresh snow and then reaching the sidewalk, looked back at the house and Luke. Suddenly, he knew. He knew that tonight Grace would hear him when he whispered in her ear. Tonight Grace would see how much he cared when he held her; when he kissed her. Luke knew that tonight Grace wouldn't pull away when he got close. Tonight she would come out from behind that wall. Finally.


	2. The Long Walk Home

The Long Walk Home

By LushBaby

Spoilers: Through the Cat. This takes place approximately one year from the current season: Doing the math, from November to March Luke and Grace are the same age so in this fiction they're both 17.

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Chapter two of Warm Me Up. Grace takes the long way home as she thinks about last night and about her relationship with Luke.

A/N: I've just been informed that Kevin's room is upstairs, not next to the kitchen as I'd assumed. That's what I get for missing the first half of the first season! So forgive the poetic license, but his room is staying downstairs for this fiction.

Grace Polk watched as the freshly fallen snow covered her Doc Martens as she scuffled her way home that bright winter's morning. Her cheeks were flush, not just with the cold, but with the memories of the previous night's activities and Kevin's subsequent discovery this morning.

She chose a circuitous route home, knowing that the usual, more direct route would not be long enough, never be long enough, to think about last night and what she silently acknowledged as she held Luke close in her arms.

She remembered how her breath had hitched in her throat when she saw Luke's car standing open in the falling snow. How her heart had hitched in her chest when she felt his glasses and realized it was Luke's cold, motionless body she'd stumbled over. And then how her heart had leapt when he opened his eyes and she knew, somehow, he'd be okay. She knew because he _had_ to be okay. For her. For her sanity. For her love. For her life.

Grace felt her cheeks burning as she admitted to herself that she needed Luke. Her. Grace-I-don't-need-anyone-anything-Polk needed someone. And not just a someone. Luke Girardi. He once said that she should like the idea of them together since liking him was a very anti thing to do. She had smart-mouthed back that she wasn't _that_ anti and he had the cojones to call her on it, calling her moderately anti. Calling Grace moderately anything was simply asking for trouble. Instead, somehow, she was kissing him.

Oh, that kiss! Grace knew her cheeks were even redder than before as she remembered their second kiss. Did the first even count since she was just proving a point? Grace had always discounted it since Luke was so taken by surprise he'd hardly a chance to respond before she'd whisked them onto the dance floor. But the second. Now that was a kiss. A fireworks bursting, symphony crescendo-ing, lose-all-track-of-time kiss. The rain-soaked alley, the cool spring night, Luke's hair beneath her fingers, the warmth of his body pressed into hers. Grace caught herself sighing as she remembered how wonderful that second kiss was.

Then that stupid confidentiality agreement. That went over well. Not. In theory it should have been perfect. Spell everything out on paper. No surprises, no arguments, no hassles. Well, she'd taken enough science courses to know that theories didn't always work. It had lasted about 6 weeks before she broke it. Yes, she. Luke had called her on that too, hovering around the girls' bathroom one day, earning himself a reputation as a pervert in the process, to tell her that it wouldn't work. Tell her that her terms meant her isolation. That maybe she couldn't handle him. Oh, she could handle him, alright. It was her feelings for him that were spiraling out of control. Later he backed down, telling her that he was willing to play by her rules just to be with her. She had told him it wasn't fair—and that surprised her since she'd gotten what she wanted, why was she even thinking about Luke's feelings?

She should have known. She should have realized sooner that Luke was _the one_. She knew it the day she instant messaged "my mother drinks" and he'd raced to school to find her. To hold her and hug her and to not pretend that it would be okay. She knew it but wouldn't acknowledge it. Not then. Not until last night.

Breaking the agreement wasn't hard. It was keeping it that was hard. From that morning at school with Luke's arms around her and his hand stroking her hair while she cried, Grace wanted people to know--maybe. She still wasn't comfortable with the whole boyfriend -girlfriend scenario, but she saw that it might be okay to have someone there for her. She hadn't had that in a long time. And it wasn't like they started making out in the halls between classes or anything. But she stopped freaking out every time he talked to her in public and slowly people acknowledged that they were a couple.

That was like a year ago and life was pretty good. She attended Ala-teen meeting to deal with her mother's drinking, graduation was just five months away, and she'd had early acceptance to Columbia. Her relationship with Luke was . . . what?

Nice? How vanilla can you get, Polk?

Sweet? Do I even do sweet? But if I did, yes it would be sweet.

Comforting? He makes me feel safe

Hot? He's a pretty good kisser for someone who didn't get out of the lab much. And don't even think about lying naked next to him last night!

Complicated? Goes without saying.

Satisfying? Oh yeah. Completely. Unchallenged.

Grace stopped walking. Disoriented, she glanced around. She had long since passed her street and was currently heading towards Baltimore. Great, just forty more miles and she could talk to Joan. Joan kept her centered. Kept her from screaming and running away whenever the couply thing got a little much for Grace. But Joan wasn't here and Grace couldn't see this conversation taking place over a cell phone. Grace started walking again as the cold snow-laden air started permeating her various layers. The hems of her jeans were soaking and Grace couldn't feel her feet anymore. Sighing, she turned towards home and resumed her broken train of thought.

School would be out in five months and then Grace would be off to New York. And Luke would be here in Arcadia for another year. What would happen then? Was this just a high school romance? Grace almost gagged at the thought of being called Luke's childhood sweetheart, and yet, would it be so bad if they did survive as a couple? If later, maybe, they did formalize this relationship somehow? If maybe, twenty, thirty, forty years from now, they were still together, if he was still rambling on about some obscure scientific discovery and she was still just listening so she could hear his voice?

Grace mounted her front porch and hurried into the warm house, shedding her leather jacket as she ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Ditching her wet clothes, she jumped in the shower and let the hot water warm her up, much as she had done for Luke the night before. And again she felt her cheeks warming as she remembered undressing Luke last night. She had tried not to look, but it was a little hard not to _see_ as she sat him onto Kevin's shower chair. Unconscious people tend to sprawl and slouch and generally not cooperate which was why she had undressed him before getting him into the shower. Ever since she had to undress her mother after she fell into the Kleins' ornamental fountain Grace knew how hard it was to remove wet clothes from an unconscious body.

So last night she'd seen Luke Girardi naked. Held him naked. Dried him off and got him into bed. Naked. And now Grace couldn't shake that image. Last night when she'd been so worried, that was different. She hadn't really thought about it; she just did it. But now . . .. As she worked the shampoo into her hair, she automatically closed her eyes and remembered. And she suddenly recalled her earlier thoughts about them growing old together. Did she picture any children in that scenario? Last night, holding Luke close to her warm body, Grace had felt this alien desire—this maternal desire—a sensation so new that she could hardly assimilate its presence. She had never really thought about children. When she had told Luke she wasn't even going to fall in like, she had meant it. No like, no love, no commitments, no children. Grace's brain had never even remotely considered the question of having children one day. And yet, now, tonight, the thought was as firmly entrenched in her mind as her leather jacket was in her closet.

Rinsing her hair and body, Grace stepped out of the shower and hurriedly dried off before dressing. Remembering what Luke had said, she sniffed at her clothes before putting them on. She couldn't smell anything special; just detergent, soap, and shampoo. But there was one thing Grace knew; tonight she didn't want to remind Luke of his sister. Tonight she was going to start breaking down that wall. Maybe. If she ever got the nerve to leave her bedroom.

An hour later Grace stood on the Girardis' front porch, waiting for someone to answer her knock, not sure if she wanted to be Luke. She was about to turn tail and run when Kevin opened the door and wheeled himself slightly back so she could enter. She forced herself to meet his knowing eyes, smiling shyly, as he closed the door behind her.

"I'm glad you decided to come back. I wasn't sure if we'd ever see you again after this morning." Kevin cocked his head slightly as he watched a blush rise up Grace's neck and face. "I wanted to apologize for embarrassing you this morning."

"That's okay. Horndog was the one naked and wrapped in a sheet."

"Yeah, and you were the one wearing lots of pink puppies. I wish I'd had a camera."

"You'd need more than that wheelchair if you had one." Grace couldn't believe she was exchanging good-natured banter with Kevin, just moments away from going upstairs and baring her soul to his little brother. Even though, she and Luke had been 'dating' for a year now, she still didn't think she knew Kevin all that well. But apparently, he knew her because he was giving her that same look he given her earlier that morning.

"You're good for each other. And if you care, then that's where you should be." Kevin gestured upwards with a nod of the head. Grace smiled again and gave a little wave as she mounted the stairs. A moment later she steeled herself and knocked lightly on Luke's door. Without waiting for an answer, she opened the door and saw Luke sitting at his computer. Apparently he hadn't heard her downstairs because he held up his hand warningly and murmured, "Yeah, Kev, hold on just a sec."

Grace just stood there, one hand still on the doorknob, realizing that this was her last out—her last chance of escape—she could slip away and not have to talk to Luke tonight. And then she saw him bite his lip as he concentrated on capturing that elusive idea onto his laptop, and she knew she was sunk. Who was she kidding? She loved the geek. She loved the way he bit his lip when he concentrated and how his eyes lit up when he was explaining some abstruse theory, or prosing on about dead scientists. Even better, she loved him when his eyes lit up at the sight of her. No, she was definitely staying. She cleared her throat nosily and watch with amusement as his head snapped up and he swiveled his chair so quickly he almost fell out of it.

"Grace!"

"Dude, I told you I'd be back." Grace shut the door behind her and in the silence they could both hear the loud click as Grace locked the door.


	3. Tonight

Tonight's the Night

Chapter Three of Warm Me Up

By LushBaby

Rating: PG-13

Summary: Grace has finally admitted her feelings to herself. Now will she tell Luke? Spoilers through the Election.

Disclaimer: Usual stuff—characters not mine, blah, blah. Major applause to Barbara Hall for creating these wonderful characters. I forgot to put one in the first two chapters, so please allow this to disclaim character ownership for all three chapters.

A/N: Sorry this has taken me so long to finish. No excuses, just apologies. Special thanks to Diminished 9th for the initial beta-ing and some very helpful insights. In the end though, all mistakes (especially grammar) are mine. And just maybe, if I get enough feedback, I might be persuaded to do a short epilogue ;-)

Grace just stood there, one hand still on the doorknob, realizing that this was her last out—her last chance of escape—she could slip away and not have to talk to Luke tonight. And then she saw him bite his lip as he concentrated on capturing that elusive idea onto his laptop, and she knew she was sunk. Who was she kidding? She loved the geek. She loved the way he bit his lip when he concentrated and how his eyes lit up when he was explaining some abstruse theory, or prosing on about dead scientists. Even better, she loved him when his eyes lit up at the sight of her. No, she was definitely staying. She cleared her throat nosily and watch with amusement as his head snapped up and he swiveled his chair so quickly he almost fell out of it.

"Grace!"

"Dude, I told you I'd be back." Grace shut the door behind her and in the silence they could both hear the loud click as Grace locked the door.

Luke got up from his chair and walked silently over to Grace. She stood there, waiting for him, one hand still on the doorknob behind her. His hand reached out to touch her snow-chilled cheek and Grace turned her head slightly to brush her lips against his palm. Luke felt her cold lips warm against his skin and he cupped her cheek.

"I'm glad you came back. Come here," he whispered as he drew her into his arms.

Grace went willingly, letting her body melt into his as their lips met. She lifted her arms to his neck and Luke let his hand drift underneath her leather jacket to span her back and settle in the little hollow just above her waistband. He didn't let their kiss linger; lately it was becoming more and more difficult to stop kissing Grace, and tonight he could feel her need to talk. He had felt it from the moment she had left his house that morning. So he just held her, feeling the cold leather against his warmer body and her slightly damp hair tickling his throat and chin. He looked down to see the last remaining snowflakes melt away in her hair and she pulled away slightly so she could look up at him.

"Luke." She swallowed hard and made a face as her voice cracked a little. "I want to talk to you." She led him over to the bed, and he wished for the first time ever, that he had more than one chair in the room. Sitting on his bed next to Grace was going to be tortuous. 'C'mon Girardi. Suck it up, you've managed to keep your hands off Grace before' he admonished himself. "But never after waking up to her naked body pressed against yours,' a little voice whispered as he watched Grace shed her jacket before joining him on the edge of the bed.

She didn't speak for a few moments and Luke knew that his instinct was correct. Tonight wasn't about making out. Tonight Grace needed to talk. He felt a slight thrill run through his body as he thought, maybe tonight's the night. Tonight Grace will let me see all of her. All of her pain. All of her soul. He looked over at her and realized she didn't look very happy.

Suddenly it hit him. The look on her face. This morning. Maybe he was wrong. Maybe he'd over-analyzed everything as he tended to do, according to Grace. Maybe she wasn't here to open up to him. Maybe she was there to—"Are you breaking up with me?" he asked, feeling as though his heart stopped beating as he waiting for her answer. It came quickly.

"No!" The word burst from Grace's lips like a bullet. She took a deep breath before continuing, her voice calmer than before. "No, definitely not. I was thinking today about us and our relationship and I decided it was time to—to—let you in."

Luke held his breath for a moment. "Let me in to what?" He asked cautiously, hoping he already knew what; hoping beyond everything he'd ever wished for that this was the moment he'd see the real Grace Polk; the one without any barriers, without any secrets; without any fear; hoping that she was going to let him into _Her_.

One word from Grace and Luke just sat there frozen. Who would have thought that a simple "me" could have so much meaning; so much significance. When he'd watched her leave that morning, he thought that maybe tonight was the night. That tonight their relationship would take this turn. But when she actually said it, Luke still had trouble assimilating it. He looked down at her hands twisting in her lap, and he reached over to capture them with his own. For such a handful of a woman, she wasn't very big, and both of her hands fit inside one of his larger ones. Her restless fingers calmed under his palm and she looked up at him from under her eyebrows—a look so familiar Luke felt he knew it almost as much as his own. But this time instead of the usual accompanying frown or smirk, she was looking at him almost apprehensively.

Grace struggled to explain. She had used the walk to examine her feelings but hadn't thought about how she was going to explain them to Luke.

"I thought I was doing fine until you Girardis showed up. My home life was screwed but whose isn't? I had Rove when he wasn't being all spaced-out artist on me, and I had my piss-off-the-authorities activities. I was doing alright." Grace repeated more for her benefit than Luke's, as though trying to convince herself she _had_ liked her life then.

"And then you moved to Arcadia and there you were sitting in front of me in Lishak's chem. class and I kind of notice you cause she so has the hots for you. You're answering all the questions--"

"Wait a minute! Lishak has the hots for me?"

"Yeah, duh. It's completely obvious. She practically drools over you and don't even think of going there," she said, seeing a dawning look of comprehension on Luke's face.

"No. No way. Weird though." Luke ran his fingers through his hair and then laced his fingers through Grace's. "Sorry. Momentary aberration. So you noticed me in Chem. class and ?"

And nothing. I just kind of realized that you were very intelligent and that intrigued me. But that study session in the kitchen—that night you couldn't get that jar opened—that's when I really noticed you. I remember pushing Joan to ask you for your notes and then I saw you struggling with that jar and I wanted to help. I walked home that night thinking how weird that was, to want to do something for someone else; wanting to help."

Luke flushed slightly. "All I could think about was what a total dweeb I was, unable to open that jar of cookies. And that after I told you how hot it was that you knew that wood didn't burn."

"Yeah, that remark kind of threw me. So I remember walking home that night and—thinking about you. And the next thing I know I'm at debates, cheerleading tryouts, and science fairs. Not to mentions a dance—wearing a dress. And I still can't figure out how you did it. How'd you guys get in under my radar and make me see that that I was throwing my life away, throwing myself away and all because I was scared."

Luke recognized the rhetorical question and stayed silent, relishing the unfamiliar scenario of Grace Polk actually talking about her feelings and for some unknown reason, not running away. He waited patiently for Grace to speak again, knowing instinctively that this was the one time he couldn't push her.

"This past year has been so . . ." Grace searched for a word that wouldn't sound sappy and maudlin, but failed to find one. "Amazing. I mean, even though I didn't always share stuff with you; even though I kept part of me closed off from you; that doesn't mean I didn't trust _you_. I think I really didn't trust myself. My feelings. My ability to handle things if this didn't work out." She watched as Luke's thumb gently stroked her hand and she closed her eyes momentarily, savoring the pleasurable sensation.

"Your accident last night scared me so much. I guess I just thought you'd always be there for me—whenever and however I wanted you. And when I found you last night out cold, for one awful moment I thought you were dead, and I just knew that you couldn't be dead, because I wouldn't survive without you." Grace paused, as though feeling for her next words.

"You know I'm not a big believer in fate and all that junk, but recently I've been asking myself all sorts of really stupid, philosophical, what-if types questions. What if your family hadn't moved here? What if we hadn't all taken AP Chem together? Would you have noticed me if I hadn't been in Joan's study group? Would I have ever—oh hell, I don't know the answers, but I know damn sure we would have found each other somehow." Grace knew she was sounding sappy and clichéd but she couldn't help it. It was true; she did believe that somehow, some way, she and Luke would have met. That everything that had happened over the past two years had been leading up to this night. That tonight was the night.

"So," she asked in a pseudo-casual tone of voice, "do you ever think about sex?"

Luke jumped off the bed as though he'd just been shot into space. "Wha—what?" he managed to utter. Where the hell had that come from?

"You know, sex—us. Haven't you ever thought about us—like that?" Grace asked the question as she intently examined her fingernails.

Luke, having managed to regain some composure, answered honestly. "Yeah, of course. I'm a hormonal teenage boy, remember?" he gingerly resumed his space on the bed.

"And?"

"Again, hormonal teenage boy—usual response." Luke used a flippant tone to hide his discomfort at the turn the conversation had taken. He'd be lying if he told Grace he'd never thought about making love with her. He was a seventeen-year-old guy who'd been dating the love of his life for over a year now. It was only because she _was_ the love of his life that Luke hadn't made a move on her. He wanted Grace every way from Sunday and didn't want to jeopardize what he did have with her by pushing her into something she wasn't ready for. His train of thought was abruptly terminated when Grace launched herself at him and they both ended up on his bed, legs tangling and Grace's lips meeting his.

It was minutes? hours? days? before Luke came to his senses and realized if they didn't stop soon, they'd be taking this relationship to new levels. Levels he wasn't sure if either of them were ready for. Grace was lying on top of him and he was going to lose control if he didn't get her off him soon.

"Listen, Grace. We have to stop . . . ."

"No," she murmured, sliding her hands into his crisp blond hair and deepening their kiss. Luke succumbed to the heady taste of her mouth and tongue and many more minutes passed before he pulled back for a second time.

"No, really. You have to go now." Luke begged, trying to push her away gently. Grace just shook her head and smiled, her lips slightly swollen, and her voice was husky when she spoke.

"Please let me stay, Luke." She fumbled in her back pocket and pressed something into his hand. He felt the square foiled-wrapped packet and even as he reached for his glasses, he knew what he was holding.

"What the? Grace, this is a condom."

"I know," she smiled ruefully. "Please," she said, meaningfully. God, she felt so unsure. She knew she was ready for this, but was Luke? She would have never thought of herself as shy, but somehow, no matter how outspoken she could be in other ways, asking Luke Girardi to sleep with her, was just something she couldn't say aloud.

"Grace! Are you asking me to--"

Grace nodded, her cheeks a fiery red. "I didn't know how to say it, so …." She shrugged.

"I don't know what to say—I mean, I don't know what to do—I mean, I do know what to do—I don't know what I mean." Luke stammered.

"Listen, Luke. It's no big thing-well, it is a big thing, but if you don't want to . . ." Grace let the sentence trail off, not wanting to push Luke into this. God, how embarrassing. Obviously he didn't --.

"Grace, of course I want to, with you. But tonight? Are you sure?"

Oh thank God, he does want to. Her cheeks still so red she could feel their heat, Grace rushed to explain. "It doesn't have to be now-tonight. It just has to be with you. I'll be off the university in the fall and," she paused, "well, no matter what happens in the future, I want my first time to be with someone I trust and respect. I want my first time to be with you. Because I love you."

Surprised, Luke pulled away from Grace so fast he fell off the bed again and landed in a heap on the rug. His brain raced with the implication of Grace's admission. He looked up at her, his eyes wide, and his mouth worked silently for a moment before he pulled himself together and spoke.

"You love me?" he whispered, as though saying it out loud might cause Grace to deny it.

Grace exhaled slowly, soundlessly. She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath. Hadn't even realized that somehow even time had had stopped for those infinitesimal seconds it took Luke to speak. She knew what she wanted, knew who she wanted. Tonight was the night to admit everything. Admit to the longing; admit to the lusting; admit to the loving.

Grace nodded almost imperceptibly. Luke almost expected her to challenge him with an aggressive 'yeah, got a problem with that?' But instead she scooted over to the side of the bed and leaned down until he could feel her warm breath on his cheek. And then she said it again.

And again.

And again.

Each time she said it his heart beat faster and his breath caught in his throat. He raised his hand and caressed her cheek.

"I always thought I'd be the one to say it first," he admitted softly.

"You never had to say it. You told me every time we kissed; every time we argued; every time you touched me. I think I've always known you loved me, I just wasn't ready to admit it to myself." Grace leaned over to kiss Luke and just as their lips touched, just as Luke felt the familiar thrill course through his blood at her touch, he was knocked back onto the rug as Grace overbalanced and fell right on top of him. Luke started to chuckle as Grace attempted to right herself. She glared at him.

"It's not funny, Luke. Girardi!" she shouted as he continued laughing. Luke just lay there, his body shaking with laughter as Grace gave him her very best death-ray glare. Suddenly, her lips twitched. She bit them to stop herself from smiling. But it was too late. Her mouth widened into a smile, then a grin, and finally she burst out laughing as well. They lay there together, giggling and grinning until Grace realized Luke was no longer laughing or even smiling for that matter. He was simply looking. Waiting. And Grace realized that this was the moment. The moment she had wanted for such a long time. The moment that she had put aside because they couldn't get there until she let him into herself.

But tonight she had let him in. Tonight she had unlocked that door and instead of him coming in, she had come out.

Their lips met in a tender kiss. A kiss meant to melt hearts. One of those for-all-eternity kisses that Joan was always going on about. Grace didn't know how long they lay there, simply kissing but gradually the kiss altered. It metamorphosed into a fiery meeting of lips and tongues; of hands stroking and fingers exploring; of breathless murmurs and quiet gasps of pleasure.

And this time when they might have stopped, they didn't.

Couldn't.

It was the perfect moment to consummate their relationship and both Luke and Grace knew it.

They had waited long enough.

Tonight was the night.

Fin


End file.
